Tell us about your latest book. My latest official book is Frank the Gentle Viking
, although by the time this interview goes live, I'll have another
one on the market called Where Are You, Magoo?
Frank the Gentle Viking is the story of a shy, introverted
little Viking who is the youngest of six siblings, and is having a tough time
finding his place among his wild and fearsome brothers. It's a story about
being true to yourself, and the importance of your family accepting and
supporting who you are. With a little of Ferdinand and Aesop's The
Lion and the Mouse mixed in.
What marketing methods are you using to promote your book? I'm sort of feeling my way in the
shallow end. Marketing is definitely not my wheelhouse. I published with
CreateSpace, thinking that their affiliation with Amazon would just make the
books fly out the door. But I've actually had better luck selling copies
hand-to-hand in person than online. I'm trying to organize little book events
at local book stores. I'm also trying to grapple with a way to make school
visits more profitable.
Who are your favourite authors? Dr. Seuss, JK Rowling, Terry Pratchett, J.M
Barrie, and Mark Twain. Also Markus Zuzak. I'd better stop there or I'll go on
forever.
What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers? I don't think it's a quote about
writing, per se, but it's a quote I find myself happier if I live by it. It's
“This is supposed to be stupid” attributed to the late, great Howard Ashman. He
was talking about Little Shop of Horrors, but I find it's sound advice for not
forcing your work to be something it's not, and being true to your inner child
that knows what kids actually like. I come up with the best stuff when I'm
loose, when I'm playing. It's serious work, and it needs to be good, but I'm
not trying to write the next Les Miserables! (Victor Hugo: also one of my favourites!)
It's a reminder to take a breath, have a laugh, get it done, and move on.
Did you learn
anything from writing your book that was unexpected? Absolutely! This was my
first book, I basically learned everything from making this book. (Not
that I know all there is to know yet, this was just all over a huge learning
experience.) I learned what I was capable of. I learned that I've acquired the
artistic maturity to know when something is and isn't good enough. I've learned
how to move on from one project to the next. I definitely learned discipline.
But most importantly, writing this story and illustrating it made me realize
it's what I want to do with my life.
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| Lucy Elliot |
What are you
doing to market the book? Not nearly enough.
What is your
work in progress? Tell us about it. I'm working on a story dummy to pitch
to publishers. It's a lot of loud, goofy fun. It's about this character who
appears when a kid's about to pitch a fit and basically steals their thunder,
so to speak. I'm hoping it will be a good way to show kids how ridiculous
tantrums are.
What are your
thoughts on self-publishing verses traditional publishing? It's hard for me to say,
since I only have experience with self-publishing. Hopefully this project I'm
working on will get picked up by a larger publisher, but I think whether you do
it yourself or have one of the big guys do it, it's a lot more leg work than
you think it will be even after the book is finished. I think self-publishing
is starting to shed some of the stigma of being the route the wanna-be's take
as the quality of the products get better and better. So on the one hand, the
market is kinda flooded which can make it hard to stand out, but on the other
hand, it gives people who wouldn't have a chance otherwise to bring a really
great product to people.
Who or what inspired
you to become a writer? In a
bizarre way, I think it was a combination of Twilight and M*A*S*H,
each for very different reasons.
I
read the first page of Twilight and thought it was terrible. But I saw
what a hit it was, and I when I found out that Stephenie Meyer had never
written in her life, I realized that there was no reason I couldn't take a shot
too! I decided that I was capable of writing something, I just didn't know
what.
The
tv show MASH was, of course, a hugely popular classic, but somehow I didn't
discover it until college when I got cable. I was totally mesmerized by how
good the writing in the script was. The dialog, the character development, the
timing of the patter, the wit! I was totally fascinated by how all these
elements came together and could have you laughing one second and bawling your
eyes out the next. It was so thoughtfully done and so brilliantly controlled
and I think I will be chasing that craft the rest of my life.
Does your
family support you in your writing career? How? Ha! Sometimes it's hard to tell. I
think they're proud of me, and they think the book is cute and that I have a
lot of potential. But it's hard to convince anyone something is legitimate when
the money isn't rolling in because of it. I think we're all glad I've found a
direction. I tried half a dozen different creative fields before I settled into
this one, so hopefully my focus will bear fruit and just springboard my career.
I think it helps that I married a
creative person. My husband writes and directs plays, so we have great respect
for each others creativity and the importance of it in our lives.
What are you
currently reading? I've
been re-reading Terry Pratchett's Hogfather over the holidays because
it's kinda, sorta Christmas-y. Normally in December I re-read The Best
Christmas Pageant Ever which is really inspirational for narrative voice
and character design. But lately, I've just kept a stack of children's books
and concept art books on my bedside table to read before sleep. Reading words
excites my imagination, but looking at pictures helps me organize things in my
brain, which is a good before-bed activity.
What books or
authors have most influenced your life? Dr. Seuss. He showed us all how art and
words can be playful and funny and smart and wise all at the same time. The
world needs much more of all four of those things. Also JK Rowling. Not just
how talented she is as a writer, but what she has done with her fame and
fortune is so admirable, especially how she struggled beforehand as a single
mother on welfare. I'd like to think that my time spent being creative in the
face of being skint broke would give me the same strength of character.
When
you’re not writing, how do you spend your time? Painting and drawing, working
on my illustrations. Taking classes. Going to the beach. And indulging in my
guilty pleasure of watching well-written sit-coms with my hubby.
